Monday, February 7, 2011

Sumo

I love sumo wrestling. It is a rare man who will put on a small apron (only) and go head to head with another man. There is a little guy in the ring with them and his main function seems to be to scream those two large guys into action and beat them with his fan. It is all over pretty quickly with the cleverest man still standing and the other eating dirt in the yard. I really like this sport. Mostly because I have no idea how to speak Japanese and yet I understand whats going on.
Today I watched the Superbowl. It isn't the first time I have watched the Superbowl but it is the first time I have slowed down the dvr long enough between commercials to notice the players. Wow. Those are some big boys. Such meaty large bodies dressed in tight spandex. The players square off at each other and run forward to knock each other down or take away a ball from each other. Problem: there is only one ball.  At least 1/2 the team plays at the same time too. It was like sumo wrestling but with a ball, clothes, and helmets.
The little Japanese guys in the dresses who normally stand in the middle have been replaced by men in striped shirts. They have little scarfs to throw down when they are really pissed. Almost immediately after the one with the ball stops yelling, everyone takes off running at each other and the striped men blow their whistles and throw the scarfs. I think real men would have been able to scream the players into doing what they want them to (like in real sumo wrestling), but hey this is America and whistles seem to get the job done. The striped men then single out whomever they want to punish and read a card on a loud speaker.
The men's hair isn't 1/2 as good in football as sumo, but they put ceremonial tribal marks under their eyes and pat each other a lot. Drinking and spitting are also a part of this game, but mostly by the ones wearing the spandex on the sides. Everyone gets a chance to play and they seem to spend most of the game moving players in or out of the ring. Several of them just sit on a chair at the side and yell.
So there you have it girls, football isn't so bad. Just picture those men all wearing little beaded aprons.

No comments:

Post a Comment